


Subnautical Hermits

by Puppetmaster13



Series: Subnautical [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Hermitcraft Recap (Youtube), Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: A lot of the world-building was done on discord, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Flora & Fauna, Alien Planet, All Ships are voted on, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, AquaScar - Freeform, Architechs, Architects are mentioned, Arson, Asexual Character, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Baby Merpeople, Best Friends, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Character Death Fix, Comfort/Angst, Cove Tree (Subnautica), Crash Zone (Subnautica), Crater Edge (Subnautica), Cultural Differences, Cussing, Dead Zone - Freeform, Deep Ocean, Destruction, Developing Relationship, Digital Art, Egg Laying, Eggs, Established Relationship, Eventual Romance, Everything on Planet 4546B lays Eggs, Evil Xisuma isn't Evil, Explosions, F/F, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Floating Island (Subnautica), Fluff and Angst, For Science!, Found Family, Gen, Giant sea monsters, Grand Reef (Subnautica), Grassy Plateaus (Subnautica), Grian is a little shit, Group Cuddles, Hacker Ryley Robinson, He Just doesn't register not everything is fireproof, Hermitcraft - Freeform, Hermits as Found Family, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kelp Forest (Subnautica), Kharaa Bacterium (Subnautica), Literal Sleeping Together, Lost River (Subnautica), M/M, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Mermaids, Mermen, Merpeople, Morning Cuddles, Mountain Island (Subnautica), Multi, Mushroom Forest (Subnautica), Mutual Pining, Ocean Planet, Or some of the Fauna turn into merpeople, Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Overprotective, Pining, Planet 4546B, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Polyamorous Architechs, Polyamorous Character, Polyamorous ZIT, Polyamory, Pre-Aurora Crash, Pre-Canon, Pre-Crash Zone, Pre-Crash Zone (Subnautica), Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Safe Shallows (Subnautica), Slash, Sleepovers, Sleepy Cuddles, Subnautica Merpeople, Subnautica Spoilers, Tags May Change, The Author Regrets Nothing, The discord server has been a blessing, Wrecks (Subnautica), ZIT - Freeform, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puppetmaster13/pseuds/Puppetmaster13
Summary: A crossover between the game Subnautica, and the amazing series Hermitcraft.. . .Also known as the fic where the hermits are merpeople on an alien planet.
Relationships: Arek Lisowski | Keralis/Xisumavoid (Video Blogging RPF), Avery Quinn/Ryley Robinson, Avery Quinn/Ryley Robinson/Bart Torgal, Bart Torgal & Paul Torgal, Charles | Grian/Oliver | Mumbo Jumbo/Viktor | Iskall85, Cubfan135/GoodTimesWithScar (Video Blogging RPF), Etho/Daniel M. | VintageBeef, Evil Xisuma/Worm Man, Joe Hills & ZombieCleo, Joe Hills/ZombieCleo, Margurit Maida & Bart Torgal, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Paul Torgal & Marguerit Maida, TFC/Parenthood, ZloyXP/Pixlriffs/ELybeatmaker, rendog/Steffen Mossner | Docm77
Series: Subnautical [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072571
Comments: 41
Kudos: 43





	1. World Info

**BdoubleO (B-dubz)**

| 

Crashfish (Boom-fin)

| 

**Mumbo (Mum-bo)**

| 

Cuddlefish (Patch-Scale)  
  
---|---|---|---  
  
**Biffa (Bif-fa)**

| 

Crimson Ray (Red-Wing)

| 

**Python (Py-son)**

| 

Crabsnake (Pink-Hider)  
  
**Cubfan (Cub)**

| 

Boneshark (Sharp-Bones)

| 

**Rendog (Rhen)**

| 

Stalker (Glitter-Hoarder)  
  
**Docm (Dahk)**

| 

Lava Lizard (Fire-Swimmer)

| 

**Stressmonster (Strss)**

| 

Reefback (Coral-Back)  
  
**Etho (E-tho)**

| 

Ghost Ray (Howling-Wing)

| 

**Tango (Tang-o)**

| 

Warper (Odd-Hunter)  
  
**False (Fls)**

| 

Reaper (Claw-Face)

| 

**TinFoilChef (Te-Ef-C)**

| 

Crab Squid (Ring-Walker)  
  
**Scar (Sch-ar)**

| 

Jelly Ray (Glowing-Grass)

| 

**Vintage (Vin-tahg)**

| 

Holefish (Cave-Fin)  
  
**Grian (Gri-an)**

| 

Sand Shark (Sand-Swimmer)

| 

**Wels (Welz)**

| 

Boomerang (Blue-Tip)  
  
**Hypnotizd (Hip-no)**

| 

Mesmer (Trap-Fin)

| 

**Hels (Helz)**

| 

Lava Boomerang (Fire-Tip)  
  
**iJevin (Jev-in)**

| 

Ghost (Shadow-Beast)

| 

**xB (Eqs-bee)**

| 

River Prowler (Tendril-Skull)  
  
**Impulse (Im-pls)**

| 

Ampeel (Storm-Skin)

| 

**Xisuma (Eqs-soo-ma)**

| 

Sea Emperor (Wave Rider)  
  
**Iskall (Ix-call)**

| 

Hoopfish (Green-Glower)

| 

**Evil X (Eq-es)**

| 

Sea Dragon (Fire-Breather)  
  
**Jessassin (Jeh-ss)**

| 

Biter (Tiny-Biter)

| 

**Zedaph (Zed-af)**

| 

Hoverfish (Vine-Floater)  
  
**JoeHills (Jo-hlz)**

| 

Rabbit Ray (Spotted-Swimmer)

| 

**Cleo (Kh-leo)**

| 

Bleeder (Blood-Sucker)  
  
**Keralis (Krr-lis)**

| 

Peeper (Wave-Jumper)

| **Worm (Wurm)** | Lava Larva (Fire-Wriggler)  
  
  * Their names aren’t exactly the same (until the humans) but they sound very, _very_ similar
  * Most fauna can change between humanoid mer form and fauna form- though it’s pretty common for them to stay in animal form
  * They can go on land for a couple hours, moving similar to a snake or eel- though most just don’t
  * The _Hermits_ are known for being odd for fauna- seeing as the predators are happily hanging around with prey and vice versa
  * So when the Degasi crashes, they’re all curious and ready to see what’s happening
  * Misunderstandings happen



[If Pictures Don't Load, Click This (Now Fixed)](https://puppetmaster13u.tumblr.com/post/640321392101982208/hermitcraft-and-subnautica-crossover-lets-go-i)


	2. A Normal Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Animal noises] “Talking” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathy”

Sch-ar wriggled out from underneath the giant pile of creatures above him. It had gotten far too warm for his squishy body- especially with there being a whole school of them. Nosing at his best friend’s bony plates, huffing through his gills when they didn’t awaken. Nosing at him again received the same response. Waving his tendrils in frustration, he looked for one of the others that didn’t sleep as deeply. Eq-es? No way could he wake up the giant fire-breather*. Ix-call? Maybe, but he was curled up with both Gri-in and Mum-bo. 

Letting out an annoyed sound, he looked around, gaze settling on Dahk. The fire-swimmer** was dozing off in the corner by a heat-rock*** jaws wide open. Slipping from the spot he was laying down, he floated closer, poking at him with a quiet trill. A grumble. Sch-ar tried again. He was finally rewarded with an eye opening and Dahk letting out a questioning grunt. Schar screeched happily, momentarily forgetting that he was trying to  _ not _ wake up all of the others. 

Dozens of sleepy cries and calls echoed around the cavern, causing Sch-ar to dim. He hadn’t meant to wake everyone! Krr-lis darted around the rising Eqs-soo-ma, already very much awake. Schar lowered himself to the ground, wanting to melt from embarrassment. Dahk let out an amused chuff, carefully patting at the glowing-grass’**** tail. It wasn’t like this hadn’t happened before after all. [Sch-ar?] Cub rumbled, blinking over at him with sunken black eyes- an oddity for sharp-bones*. [Why didn’t you wake me up?] 

Sch-ar looked up at him, wriggling his tail in annoyance. [I tried Cub- you wouldn’t wake up! You were in deep-sleep!] His friend wriggled, showing his silent laughter as Sch-ar attempted to look threatening. Glowing-grass weren’t exactly intimidating though, seeing as they relied on their poison-flesh and bad taste. On the other hand, fire-swimmers and sharp-bones were a terrifying sight. Fire-swimmers could open their mouth incredibly wide, baring large teeth, and- like their name implied- could swim in the red fire-water in the deep caves. Sharp-bones were protected by bony plates, with (usually) glowing green eyes- the only thing one would see before being torn to shreds. Glowing-grasses were just… blue squishy plant-looking creatures that ate plants off the sandy floor. 

Te-ef-c, a ring walker**, skittered down, letting out a distinct droning clicking sound as a greeting. He was one of the ones that usually went out in the pitch black night when it was void of the sun. His four eyes roamed around, causing Sch-ar to try and leave the sleep-cave before the overprotective creature could insist they stay inside. They were  _ adults _ after all. Huffing out a low cry, he swam out of one of the smaller openings- Cub quickly following. Buddy system after all- except for leviathans,  _ they _ were big enough that the other creatures wouldn’t mess with them. 

The sun lit the surrounding waters as the two friends slowly made their way to the water forest. There was a large amount of plant remains there for him, and plenty of fish there for the both of them. After breakfast- they could actually hang out and play around. Yes, they were adults, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have fun! Sch-ar ignored when Cub tore apart a few wave jumpers***, busying himself with chomping up some mushrooms. [How do you eat those purple things? Even just brushing next to them burns...] the sharp bone eyed him, bits of wave jumper still hanging from his maw. Sch-ar puffed out his tendrils. [And I wonder how you eat other Krr-lis-es Cub] 

Cub grinned, snapping up the last remains. [Easily.] Both shared a laugh, tails wriggling side to side. Slipping closer to the surface, Sch-ar got a gleam in his eyes. His friend instantly saw his expression and got a similar expression. [Change?] Sch-ar was already breaching the surface in answer. 

Squishy body shifted, gaining mass and bones, which promptly moved. Hair grew on a tan head, and gills moved to a neck that sprang from rapidly forming shoulders. His tail grew longer and thicker, attached to a humanoid torso. Bright green eyes blinked away the saltwater from the waves that newly formed hands had created. Another now far  _ more _ squishy Cub surfaced next to him. A patch of silver hair was on his jaws, and the squishy part was a pale cream. His eyes were just as dark, but with white around it, and his hands were rather noticeably clawed. 

[What’s the plan for today?] Cub growled, tail flicking. Sch-ar triled thoughtfully. [Dunno- I didn’t think that far ahead yet…] That was an issue of his ever since he was a newborn hatchling. He didn’t really plan ahead… Oops. Cub sighed through a nose, used to his friend’s antics. [We could go to the floating rock?] 

Sch-ar’s eyes lit up. [The big one with the big floating-pinks? And with all the dry-plants? Yes!] He happily screeched, diving back underwater, Cub following. It was quite hard for any fauna, even in their secondary forms to make it onto the floating rock. Rather, farther than the tiny sandy beach. The rocky cliffs were impossible for pretty much anything (besides the Rock walkers*) to really get onto the parts of the island covered in the weird green grass. Everyone knew grass was supposed to be red. There were also the really tasty tree-things. 

Both of them dragged themselves from the water. There was a dip between the cliffs that allowed one to go further up- if one was stubborn enough. They both happened to be stubborn enough. Muscles straining, they clawed and squirmed their way up the dip, tail coils helping with gripping the ground. Once they were onto the foliage, it got much easier, as they weren’t fighting against the sand grains moving and shifting. By the time they made it to where 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sea Dragon = Fire-Breather  
> **Lava Lizard = Fire Swimmer  
> ***Thermal Spires = Heat Rock  
> ****Jellyray = Glowing Grassess  
> *Boneshark = Sharp Bones  
> ** Crabsquid = Ring Walker  
> *** Peeper = Wave Jumper  
> * Cave Crawler = Rock Walker


	3. SHIPS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Need Help for Developing Relationships Y'all
> 
> This gets updated every few days to a week!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Just comment either the characters or corresponding number for which one you're voting for, thanks!

**DISCLAIMER: These ships are between the characters from the server- NOT the real people. These are based off of the personas they, the content creators, have built up. Please don't ship real people!**

**Confirmed Ships:**

  * Grian x Iskall x Mumbo
  * Tango x Impulse x Zedaph
  * Keralis x Xisuma 
  * Worm x Ex
  * TFC x Parenthood
  * Scar x Cub 
  * Joe x Cleo
  * Ren x Doc
  * Etho x Beef
  * Bart x Ryley x Avery
  * Stress x False
  * Wels x Biffa x Jevin



**(Those that get to 3 or more will be the ones most likely in the story- but ships won't be the main focus, at least in the beginning. That might change later on though, depending on what people want.)**

**Voting Options: (Last Updated 3/05)**

  1. Bdubs x Python **( Vote)**
  2. _Bdubs x Hels **( Vote)** _
  3. Python x Jessassin **( Vote)**
  4. _Python x Hypno x xB **( Vote)** _
  5. Python x No one **(1 Vote)**
  6. _**Doc x Ren (3 Votes)** _
  7. **Etho x Beef (4 Votes)**
  8. _**False x Stress (3 Votes)** _
  9. Hypno x xB **(2 Votes)**
  10. _Hypno x No one **( Vote)** _
  11. xB x No one **(1 Vote)**
  12. _**Scar x Cub (3 Votes)**_
  13. **Wesl x Biffa x Jevin (3 Votes)**
  14. _Hels x Jessassin **( Vote)** _
  15. Hels x Python **( Vote)**
  16. _Hels x No One **( Vote)** _
  17. Jessassin x No One **( Vote)**
  18. _**Elybeatmaker x Pixlriffs x ZloyXP (4 Votes** **)** _
  19. **Bart x Ryley (3 Vote)**
  20. _**Bart x Ryley x Avery (5 Votes)**_
  21. Any other Options




	4. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, is that a hooman?

Zed-af’s head perked up from where he was floating, six limbs splayed out. The currents had apparently decided to calm for a few moments, the storm lapsing. He chirped happily, gaining Im-pls’ and Tang-o’s attention. [Look! Think it’s calmed enough to jump through the waves?] He loved jumping with his second form, as it was actually able to swim at a decent speed. Im-pls darted to the surface for a moment, electricity sparking to life around him. [Dude, it’s pretty much perfect up there! There’s lightning and everything!]  
Tang-o was a little more hesitant, mandibles clicking nervously. [You sure it’s okay?] His blades were crossed over his chest. Storms were one of the few things he didn’t like, as it messed with his less natural, especially with large ones like this. It messed with his different modes.  
[Don’t worry Tang-o, it’ll be fine! We trust you!] Zed-af smiled with a bright smile, already shifting, body growing and changing. Still a little hesitant, the odd-hunter* uncrossed his blades and followed them upwards. The trio were near the large floating rock, seeing as it was more sheltered from the worst currents, but that meant that if they weren’t careful, they could get bashed against the cliffs. [Alright, but I’m not catching you if you use my warpings to jump from the sky] He grinned with a much less terrifying face, with bright red eyes and blonde hair.  
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
Bart sighed, wiping rainwater from his eyes. It was pouring cats and dogs out, but he needed to drain the growbeds before their food supply drowned. A few were already definitely dead. But it was rather annoying seeing as he needed to cut his hair, it not doing much to stop the water from going in his face. He was lucky the wind had died down, but the rain was still absolutely horrid.  
Finished with one growbed (and getting quite a bit of mud on him), he turned toward the other. Thunder echoed through the sky, followed by a flash of lightning. ‘Oh, that’s not good. That’s really not good,’ the brunette belatedly realized. They weren’t really high up on the island, so they should be fine, but their base was made completely of metal. He had no idea if it was safer to be inside or outside the base.  
“Dangit,” Bart muttered, combing his hand through his hair. He was completely soaked, and the hair on the back of his neck were rimrod straight from the lightning in the sky. There were still two growbeds practically swamped with rainwater. The brunette sighed through his nose, feeling exhausted. His father and Maida kept arguing over every little thing. Maida herself wasn’t that bad- she at least understood they weren’t in for the cushy life and needed to be ready to fight for survival. But his father nitpicked at every little thing and every perceived slight to his authority.  
Pushing down his blooming frustration, the brunette focused on fixing their one consistent food supply. He’d only finished with one of the remaining two when he heard it. It sounded like someone had spliced a digitized blender with an echoing zebra bray, which okay, they were on an alien planet so he had heard some strange noises before. This though, this was just… horrifying. Hesitantly, Bart moved a little closer to the cliff edge, not close enough to slip off, but close enough to better see into the ocean below.  
He didn’t see anything at first, and even the odd sound had disappeared. Squinting, Bart peered closer into the water and wiped the water from his face. Had he imagined it? He wouldn’t know how his mind would have come up with such a noise. He perked up, straining. There it was again- closer now. How Maida and his father weren’t hearing it, he’d never know.  
Looking as close as he could into the water, his eyebrows shot up. There were two- no three- very human-looking figures in the water. It was a little hard to see, but two of them had bright blonde hair, while the third had dark hair (he couldn’t tell if it was brown or black). Bart couldn’t tell what they were- they obviously weren’t humans, seeing as the humanoid part ended at the torso. They seemed to be leaping from the waves- kinda like the extinct dolphins he’d read about and seen ancient videos of. Why had they never seen these things before? Did they only come up during storms? Why?  
Bart wished he had grabbed his pda to take some notes. This was an entirely new species that had evolved on a completely unexplored planet that had somehow evolved to look like they could be a cousin species to humanity. Which, really shouldn’t have been possible.  
The dark haired one suddenly dipped below the water, only to fly up at incredible height just in time for lightning to arc across the clouds. To Bart’s astonishment, what appeared to be electricity also arced across a green tail. How was it not dead? The blondes (he assumed they were blonde) followed, what seemed to almost be a game of tag starting. They darted and flicked through the waves like it was second nature, which made sense seeing as it was an ocean planet. He was completely enthralled before remembering he had one more growbed to drain. “F@ck,” the man muttered, turning back inland.  
He’d have to remember to grab his pda next time he left the base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warper = Odd Hunter


	5. Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardian

She had been there for as long as Krr-lis knew. She had been trapped so long that even the oldest wave-jumper couldn’t remember when she was free. Even Te-Ef-C, the oldest creature Krr-lis knew to roam the waters, didn’t know about her. Only those within her den and the wave-jumpers that helped her knew. Well, his friends knew too! It was only fair after all- Eqs-soo-ma was like a smaller her. Slipping through the odd winding cracks, he entered her den.

The Guardian was massive,sitting atop a sandy throne in all of her regal majesty. Even sleeping, her presence was everywhere, weighing down on everythings mind. It was calming, protective, like a more powerful version of Eqs-soo-ma’s. It was older, more experienced, and, terrifyingly, starting to fade. 

Krr-lis knew she was ancient, and that she was tired. Very tired, but she refused to pass on until her eggs hatched. She knew of Eqs-soo-ma, had whispered to all of them, told them about the sickness coiling through the waters. So they helped- the wave jumpers took the healing dust and traveled across their homes. And as they traveled, so did the dust.

But she was fading, the dust growing weaker. Where once only a few dozen had to go out at once, there were now hundreds. Hundreds of wave-jumpers day and night trying desperately to bring their cargo to the far reaches- from the shallow waves to the deep dark. Some succeeded- others being eaten. Some, horrifyingly enough, succumbed to the sickness themselves, changing between their natural and secondary forms as green began bubbling from flesh and scales. 

It was a horrible way to die. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short...


	6. Meeting

Bart stared straight at the humanoids curled up on the sand several feet below him. There had to be about a dozen or so all in the dip- blocking his way to the seamoth. A couple were apparently looking over it, trilling and hissing almost excitedly, while the rest seemed to just be content sunbathing on the warm sand. Most- if he was going by human anatomy, looked to be male, with three females of varying sizes. 

Taking out his pda, Bart began to zoom in closer, trying to take some pictures. He had a scanner- but no way was he getting close enough to do so. Just approaching an unknown creature- sentient or not- was a very bad idea. For a moment, the Degasi survivor gave thanks that Maida and his father were in the base (probably arguing again, but that wasn’t unusual). Sitting down, as he was planning on watching for a while, Bart focused the pda on the largest one he saw. 

It- he- was quite a bit larger than the others- obviously- with a large intersecting scar on his face and long tentacles instead of a tail. The tentacles looked like a mixture of an octopus’ and a sea turtle in structure, with two limbs where the human and creature parts met. He was sprawled out next to a small male whose tail looked nearly exactly like the big-eyed fish Bart really liked. Heck- it even had huge eyes like them! 

Smiling, Bart glanced back at the pda for but a second. When the brunette lifted his head, he let out a startled noise. Not quite a yelp, not quite a scream. One of the creatures had somehow made its way all the way up the dip and was only a few feet away, staring straight at him.  _ ‘Okay, okay, calm down. It doesn’t look mad or aggressive. Just stay still and maybe it’ll go away…’ _ It came closer, sliding along like a snake from earth until he could practically touch it. Bart could easily see the almost childlike curiosity on its face, which had lighter patches of skin. Actually, almost every bit of skin had lighter patches scattered across it, and had an almost pink or maybe red tint to it. 

It tilted its head at him, gills along the neck fluttering. Pitch black eyes peered into his own, open fascination causing them to gleam. “Hello,” Bart cautiously waved. Almost instantly, it reared back, a startled expression flitting across its face. “Oh, sorry didn’t mean to startle you…” he lowered his hand, a slight smile on his face. Oh how tempted he was to scan them and learn more. It tilted its head again, letting out a quiet screeching noise, maybe mixed with a bit of a trill? He wasn’t quite sure. 

It had a downright pleased face, a razor sharp grin visible. Definitely not an herbivore then. Apparently deciding he wasn’t a threat- or maybe that he seemed similar enough to itself- the serpentine humanoid coiled up on the warm rock. Bart could practically touch it with how close it was. He would only need to move his arm from his lap. Which, okay, it might have been a bad idea to do so, but he did. Slowly, he softly touched the pale indigo fins.  _ ‘Whoa,’ _ his eyes widened in wonder. It felt similar to silk and it twitched when he poked at it. A slight huffing noise got his attention, and he startled. 

A few others had made their way up, apparently curious as to what the snake-one had found. Two of them were the ones he had noticed earlier, and they had been joined by a third with near glowing spikes. “Uh.... Hello,” Bart says, bemused. Almost instantly, all three light up, making excited-sounding trills and screeches. Apparently the noise got the  _ others _ attention as well. All of the humanoids began to make noise, maybe speaking to each other. The large one made their way closer, with the other two being slower as they didn’t have the help of two flipper-like limbs and tentacles. It really was massive compared to the others, being what Bart estimated as eight feet tall if one only counted the humanoid part. Again,  _ huge _ compared to both the other humanoids and Bart himself. 

**“Are... you here... to play?”** Bart recoiled at the sudden sound echoing through his head, shocked. He looked around, was there someone else there? There were only the humanoids around him, and the birds in the trees. He looked back at them, brows furrowed. Had he been hearing things? The large one had partially curled up on the grass and was staring straight at him with hypnotizing blue eyes. Wait… No way- no f@cking way! To Bart’s amazement, it happened again. 

**“Are you… here to play?”** Its head was tilted, but its mouth never moved, and Bart was  _ definitely _ hearing the question. “Um…” What did he say? This was impossible proof that there was intelligent life amongst the stars.  _ He had discovered intelligent life, holy fu- _ “Do you… want to play?” All of them brightened up considerably. He took that at a yes. “Um, okay, well, what do you want to play?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Large one w/ intersecting scar & tentacles = Xisuma (Sea Emperor)  
> **Similar to big-eyed fish (Peeper) = Keralis (Peeper)  
> ***Lighter + Darker patches & moves like snake = Python (Crabsnake)  
> *Glowing spikes = BdoubleO (Crashfish)


	7. Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to those that have voted on future ships! Your votes are a great help to future chapters!

Bart hummed thoughtfully as he sat under a tree, a slight mist in the morning air. His father was practically sulking back in the base, and Maida had taken their lone seamoth out, leaving him to enjoy the calm silence. The brunette slipped his PDA out, thumbing through the tabs. He’d managed to scan quite a few plants and creatures without the others noticing- they’d get annoyed at the wasted energy. Bart was fifty percent sure that Maida knew he had a spare scanner, but he wasn’t certain. It wasn’t like she’d say anything- any rebellion against his fathers orders- no matter how small was good in her eyes. 

He tapped on the tab he had labeled exotic fish. Well, the humanoids weren’t fish, but it wouldn’t immediately jump out as suspicious if one were to just glance at his pda. Scrolling down, the survivor pondered his situation. He had discovered real  _ intelligent  _ life on an alien planet, and for now at least, was the only one aware of it. Maida would probably want to fight them, uncaring of the information lost in doing so. Father would only see the monetary value, unwilling to register that they were sentient and not animals. So for now, Bart was the only one who knew that they existed. The only one to come into direct contact. 

Running his hand through his newly chopped hair, the survivor sighed.  _ If _ they ever got off the ocean planet, and he shared this discovery, he couldn’t just call them numbers. They should have nicknames of some sort, and definitely a species name. Actually, did they have a name for themselves? It was obvious they had some sort of language, even if there was a vocal cord barrier that prevented him from understanding. Trust him, he’d tried to find some sort of pattern between each of their vocalizations. 

Though he’d have to wait to ask- the large one that usually acted as a translator* wasn’t in the shallows. Instead, there were a couple ones he’d never seen before simply lazing about. That brought him back to earlier thoughts. Would they be mammals? Fish?  _ Lizards? _ Bart itched to learn more. 

One of the humanoids looked to be just as big as the one Bart could speak to, though way more dangerous looking. For earth’s sake its-  _ his _ mouth had smoke coming from it as they snoozed. With the coloration, Bart almost swore it was an albino version of his acquaintance, but the lack of turtle-like limbs in the front and the extra fins on the head told him otherwise. The second one kind of reminded him of a caterpillar or a worm, and even had antennae looking protrusions on their head. What would they be- an arthropod? Bart let out a snort of muffled laughter. 

Yeah, right. The brunette shook his head, looking back down at his pda. Well, maybe he could just wait for his… acquaintance? Friend? Whatever the being was; dangit- Bart couldn’t just call them merpeople or humanoids! He had circled back to his earlier ponderings! 

Bart didn’t see the large humanoid for another few days, and it wasn’t on the island. He’d just needed to get away for a little bit, just have a few moments alone, y’know? He hadn’t expected to run into them-  _ him  _ while out with the seaglide. Bart had just gone into the large open area east to the island, just wanting to clear his head. 

There were several mesa-looking outcroppings and some cave entrances, but besides that, the biome was completely open. Any foliage was few and clung to life in clumps, leading to patches of plants surrounded by an expanse of sand and rock. Bart had gone towards one of the massive rock faces- this one just large enough that it breached the surface of the ocean. 

He hadn’t expected to come across the closest things he had to friends when he was checking the cave out. 

Bart practically swam right into the large one, who looked rather startled at his appearance. The brunette couldn’t blame him though- he was just as startled as the blue-eyed male. “Uh, hi, fancy seeing you around here....” well, didn’t his voice sound awkward. It apparently didn’t matter to them though, as his face seemed to light up. And holy heck, Bart knew he was big before, but dang- being able to see the full length of their body really put it into perspective. 

Sprawled out in mid-swim, it was easily as big as a bus- maybe even bigger. It made Bart thankful that the humanoids were friendly. Something this big and intelligent could easily demolish the base if it wanted to. Thankfully, he seemed content to simply be curious about the humans that had appeared within the waters. 

**“Hello friend,”** the humanoid dipped their head as they swam around Bart- something he’d learned was a greeting between them. Quickly, the male nodded back, a grin on his face. Even the grumpier creatures were still alright with him around- so surely it would be fine if he hung out with them for a little while, right?

“Do you have names?” Bart swung his legs, creating ripples in the cavern waters. Who knew that there was a cave system that had air pockets only a few hundred meters from the island? Well, the humanoids did, seeing as they lived in it. Bart was sitting on one of the dozen or so sloping overhangs that circled around a massive pool of water. Water which was actually the submerged tunnels and caverns that stretched even farther under the rocks. 

**“Names?''** The massive humanoid was partially on the outcrop, elbows on the rock while the rest of him stayed in the water. Several of the others around also raised their heads or glanced in their direction in open curiousity or with unreadable expressions. Bart paused in his movement. “Uh, yeah, names? Something you call each other specifically? Um, like my name’s Bart,” he didn’t really know how else to explain what a name was. 

Apparently he did an okay job though, as their eyes seemed to light up and understanding swamped their face.  **“Name is Brt?”** They motioned towards him, an almost proud expression on their face before then motioning to themself.  **“Name is Eqs-soo-ma.”**

Bart blinked. “Xisuma?” He was pretty sure that wasn’t exact, but it was apparently close enough as they-  _ Xisuma _ nodded cheerfully. “What are the other’s names?” Bart felt a slight chill creep up his spine at the borderline mischievous glint in the brunette’s blue eyes. Oh dear. 

His brain felt like it would melt by the end of introductions. The Degasi survivor knew that there were a dozen or so of the humanoids, but he didn’t expect there to be  _ thirty _ . Nor was he expecting for them to be able to turn from human-ish to full fauna- or maybe it was in reverse? Bart’s mind had been trying to compute too much for him to actually ask anything. Hilariously enough the one who he had thought looked kind of worm-like was  _ named _ Worm. Or it was Wyrm- Bart had a slight issue remembering so many names. 

There was the other big one as well, named Ex, who  _ could apparently breathe fire _ . Okay, it was actually molten globs of metal, but  _ still. _ He was one of the grumpy ones who was fine with Bart as long as the man didn’t approach them. Oh, and then there was a really old-looking one that was apparently named three letters. Then again, Bart was pretty sure he wasn’t getting the names exact, so maybe the name wasn’t literally TFC. Who knows? Bart wasn’t judging if it was actually the case though- probably not a good idea to laugh about the one who could release  _ EMP blasts at will _ . 

Yeah, Bart could see how they were able to easily live on this planet without worry of predators. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Since Xisuma has the easiest time “speaking” to Bart, he translates for the others.


	8. Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun is warm

Gri-an blinked almost lazilly as the Sky-Hunter* approached him and his companions. Brt, he thinks their name is. The sun was high in the sky, baking the sand he had partially buried himself in, making the usually energetic sand-swimmer** sleepy and lethargic. Ix-call lifted his head from where he was partially submerged in the shallows, trilled out a laugh, and dipped his head back under. “Hey you three,” the sky-hunter made the odd sound that was apparently their version of a laugh. Which was weird, with no gills to flare out or tail to wiggle. 

They crouched down next to Gri-an, patting his sand-encrusted hair. The sand-swimmer let out a lackluster hissy snarl at this, halfheartedly swiping at them. [You’re blocking the sun you pile of pebbles**,] the golden-brunette rumbled, wiggling deeper into the sand. He got another pat on his head for his troubles before the sky hunter meandered over to their moving den-shell. Gr-an hid a grin. 

Mum-bo had made his way on top of it when they had arrived at the island, lanky arms overhanging the curved edge as he dozed. With his darker scales to the sun soaking up the heat of the day, he had fallen asleep within moments. Gri-an laughed Brt’s absolutely lost expression. It wasn’t like sky-hunter’s could exactly swim well, or deep for that matter. Maybe he’d bring them some fish as an apology- very little could wake Mum-bo until it got cooler. Hissing in laughter as Brt tried to do the impossible deed of waking the patch-scale*** up, Grian curled up, ready to take a nice warm nap. 

He woke up to a loud screeching noise. A glance told him that the sun was still pretty high in the sky, not a single cloud visible, so not much time had actually passed. Getting tired of the angry-sounding screaming, he turned towards the source. Rather, sources. There were two sky-hunters by the grass, one practically bellowing at Brt, and the other sitting oddly on their legs ‘laughing’. Looking back over to the shell-den, Brt and Mum-bo were laying in the shadow- Brt on the sand, and Mum-bo in the shallows with Ix-kall. Gri-an let out a confused rumble. Where was the danger that warranted such a sudden exclamation? 

The sand-swimmer shook the sand off, more awake than before. One of the sky-hunters shrieked, apparently unaware of his presence beforehand. Oh well. Now it was looking wildly around the sand like dozens of fauna would just suddenly spring out at them. Gri-an let out a hissing snicker at that thought. That sort of thing only happened with boom-fins* in caverns. 

Growing bored with the sky-hunters’ actions, the creature scittered over to the shade. The sun was starting to take hold again, and he really wasn’t in the mood to fall asleep for however many minutes before being woken up. Ix-kall moved to the side slightly, giving the sand-swimmer just enough space to squeeze in between him and Mum-bo. It was much cooler in the shallow water than the sand, but not overly so with the shared body heat of his companions. Mum-bo gave a slight grumble, but still curled into the smaller and warmer male. 

Brt was shouting back at the other sky-hunters, albeit much quieter. He seemed nervous, but indignant in expression even if Gri-an couldn’t understand anything they were saying. Eqs-soo-ma was far better at translation than pretty much any of them- besides maybe E-tho. 

[What do you think they’re talking about?] Ix-kall had partially reared up to get a better look at the two new sky-hunters, his glow flashing slightly in curiosity. 

[Who knows- hey!] Mid-answer, Brt had reached out and patted Gri-an’s hair. Again. He growled slightly at his friend’s snickers, but still subconsciously leaned into the feeling. It was nice in a way he supposed- not that he’d ever admit it. [Be quiet you two- it isn’t that funny!] the sand swimmer hissed slightly, his ears beginning to pinken. It didn’t stop their quiet laughter. [Oh ha-ha, very funny, yep,} he grumbled before tuning back into the sky-hunter’s actions. 

The two were closer now, just outside the shade and barely outside of Brt’s reach. One had gray hair, kind of like Te-Ef-C, so they were probably old like him, while the other had dark hair like Ix-kall. So an adult, but not old- if they aged like them. If not- who knows?

The old one continued to gester and make loud sounds towards Brt, but the one that reminded him of Fls came right up to them. Gri-an made a questioning growl, echoed by his partners own trills. They-she ignored him though, reaching out and patting Ix-kall on the head. 

“Oh shut up Torgal- not you kid- they’re perfectly harmless!” Bart groaned, hiding his head in his arms as his father and Maida continued to argue. He loved his father- he really did- but the old man was really far too overprotective. The fauna weren’t exactly harmless per se, but the group he had been interacting with were perfectly fine with his presence. Hell, even the leviathan ones were fine with him! His father really didn’t have to worry about him- Bart wasn’t  _ five. _

_ ‘Just go to bed already, you’ve been arguing all night!’ _ He inwardly moaned. His father hadn’t even let  _ him _ go to bed while they argued. Nope, Bart had to stay within his father’s sight due to “the unknown and potentially dangerous creatures”. Dangit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sky-Hunter = Human  
> **Sand-Swimmer = Sand Shark  
> ***Patch-Scale = Cuddlefish  
> *Boom-Fin = Crashfish  
> ** Pile of Pebbles = Calling someone a Jerk


	9. Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ghaniya19o8, AlliCrownZJ, randomdragonJTK, & uwotmate for voting on ships!   
> Don't forget- you can still vote even if you don't have an account, just comment your choice in chapter 3- or this chapter if that works better for you! ^-^

Py-son let out a throaty screech while he snapped at another pink-hider* who had gotten too close to his second-home. Just because he also lived in caves in the sandy-rocks** didn’t mean they could try and steal the plant he’d claimed as  his  since his hatching. Hissing another warning, he coiled back into the opening. Much better. Now that his Glow-Cave*** home was safe, he could relax. 

Puffing out some bubbles from his gills, he changed forms. He liked being able to pick things up with his front limbs- hence a plethora of random items surrounding his glow plant. The lack of grabbers on his face was always a little weird, as always. He’d gotten used to the phantom feeling of things no longer there though. And having limbs was right useful. 

Hissing happily, Py-son wiggled out of his glow plant. He technically didn’t  _ need  _ to organize his stuff, but it was relaxing and repetitive. Which, with all the shenanigans happening around him, was nice and calm. (Unlike the sheer chaos that was usually happening at the sandy-rocks) It let him think with no interruption, lettin time stream by with the currents.

He lost track of time like this, but Py-son didn’t mind. The pink-hider made dozens of tiny towers before disassembling them, and starting all over again. Over and over until they were finally organized once more. Hissing contentedly, he wiggled his way back to the glow plant. Another pink-hider had gotten too close for comfort. 

Oh well, back to guarding his glow plant he supposed. 

Bart would admit he felt a small bit of vindictive glee at the fact Maida had actually won an argument with his father. Not a lot mind you, as the place was dark in a cave filled with snake things, but he still felt it. The cave was pretty in a way, he supposed, but the echoing screeches were a little unsettling. His father still thought they could live comfortably, while Maida believed they would have to fight for survival. Bart was hesitant to think one over the other. 

After all, why couldn’t there be a balance? The brunette sighed, running a hand through his hair. It needed to be cut again. Not that he’d get a chance to until they finished building this base and the water fully drained out. A few of the snakes got a little close for comfort while the trio of survivors constructed it, but that wasn’t much of an actual problem- Maida easily scared them away with the seamoth. Most went back to the giant mushrooms, which really interested Bart. 

Maybe he could look at them closer- if his father stopped being so controlling. Bart wanted to learn about the world they were on, for the foreseeable future, not be stuck in a base until the end of his days. The brunette sighed through his mask, eyeing the resulting bubbles dispassionately. If his tank ran out of oxygen he could just go to the seamoth for a little while. His father was checking over the base now, making sure it was structurally sound enough for them to enter, while Maida was grabbing some supplies from the walls of the caves. 

She hadn’t been wrong- the cave was full of resources to build with, but he worried about growing anything to eat here. The ambient lighting was incredibly low, and no way they could use solar panels for power. It worried him.

Sighing again, Bart turned away, opting to peer over at the glowing mushrooms. A serpent or two snapped at each other as they approached, but they seemed to be giving the humans a wider berth. That was good. Though they also seemed to be avoiding a single large mushroom off to the side as well. This one had several outcroppings and scrap piled at the base. Huh. Had a stalker gotten in at some point? Maybe a-  _ oh _ . 

A head of hair followed by a curious face popping up gave Bart an answer. He knew this one- Python he thinks they’re called- as they had been the first one he’d interacted with up on that island. They didn’t look so oddly pink-tinted now, with the natural magenta glow of the cave encompassing everything in sight. If anything, they blended in seamlessly, which most definitely helped with hunting things. 

Bart let out a tiny grin. He was pretty sure his father had agreed to the move just to get away from the not-merpeople-but-he-didn’t-have-a-better-name-at-the-moment. From what he could tell though, the group- school? Pack?- had a slight gossiping issue. If one knew where they had gone, then it wouldn’t be long for the others to learn about it as well. 

… He just hoped his father didn’t blow an artery in lividness when he found out… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pink-Hider = Crabsnake  
> **Sandy-Rocks = Pre-Crash Zone  
> ***Glow-Cave = Jellyshroom Caves


	10. DISCORD SERVER

Hey guys! I've made a Discord Server for art and discussions, seeing as AO3 dislikes showing the pictures I put up. If you don't want to join, then ignore this, but if you're interested, the link is here: [https://discord.gg/g7xE9JW.](https://discord.gg/g7xE9JW)

Members get early access to pictures, snippets of story, and help out with potential objects/characters/scenarios in the story. We also just chat and share funny ideas. I hope you guys enjoy it! ^-^


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